pegler


 

 
 
 
 
OASIS: The development of a school information 
system 
 

Graham Pegler 
 

The direction and approaches adopted in the provision of school 
information systems have been discussed in a previous paper. The nature of 
the school organisation was said to lead to a unique set of difficulties in 
relation to the development and implementation of a school information 
system that could provide an integrated solution for schools; one that could 
satisfy the potential and scope envisaged and overcome the problems or 
pitfalls that exist. This paper seeks to critically examine the development of 
OASIS (Office Administration and School Information System) which was 
undertaken by the NSW Department of School Education. The reasons for 
the decisions made to develop an information system that would be 
implemented in all NSW Public Schools are instructive for others looking 
down the same path. The examination produces a number of observations 
and insights that have application to the development of school information 
systems. 

 
Computerised school administration in NSW public schools 
 
The growth model provided by Nolan (McNurlin & Sprague, 1989, p97) of 
the EDP function within an organisation can be applied to the use of 
computers within schools. Computers have been used in schools for some 
years now, for teaching and for administration, however the activities of 
one were not, in the past, directly linked to the other by the computer 
technology available. As Hedberg and Harper (1992) indicate there has 
been little integration, despite the passage of time, even with regard to 
equipment, of these areas. 



20 Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 1993, 9(1) 

To focus on the use of computers for school administration; initial efforts 
were generally inefficient and ineffective as they were employed for "one-
off", independent applications, the individual efforts of teachers were 
directed towards improving their personal position with the "new 
technology" and not with a concern for a wider view. In the context of the 
development and growth of the EDP function within an organisation, this 
would not be unexpected. The proliferation and experimentation with the 
technology are a necessary part of coming to terms with it and 
understanding and realising its capabilities. The efforts of executive or 
administrative staff of schools to improve their management activities 
through databases, word processors, and spreadsheets were varied as 
attempts were made by them to address the problems they faced as 
individuals within the organisation. Attendance, scheduling, anticipated 
enrolment models, academic reporting, class lists, class mark books, 
equipment maintenance and stocktaking representing just a few of the 
tasks to which staff devoted time to developing as computer-based 
activities. Consequently, many of these efforts while worthwhile for the 
individual were piecemeal in terms of the organisation, with consequent 
problems for integration and management of efforts. 
 
The problems associated with the burgeoning use of computer hardware 
and software for school administration were recognised by officers of the 
NSW Department of School Education. The next stage of the growth 
model discussed by McNurlin and Sprague (1989, p.97), control, appears 
largely to have developed, in terms of school administration in NSW, as a 
result of the influence of the governing body; the NSW Department of 
School Education, and not from the recognition at the school level of the 
need for such control. However, the officers responsible generally had 
considerable experience in schools with computerised administration. 
 
The concern for exercising control in the development of computerised 
school administration has been a major factor leading to the investigation 
and eventual development of a school information system for NSW 
schools. The "Report on the Administrative Computing Needs of Schools" 
(Hartley, 1986) was a relatively early indicator of this realisation. It 
presented issues for consideration and implications for senior 
management in the Department for the exercise of control. The report 
stated that there was a need to coordinate, control and provide leadership 
and guidance to schools embarking on the process of computerising 
school administration, as well as a necessity to ensure that the systems 
used would satisfy the information requirements of the Department and 
other Government bodies that had statutory requirements of schools. 
 
The Department's acceptance of the aim of providing all schools with 
access to computing facilities for school administration required  
 



Pegler 21 

consequent decisions to be made by the Department on behalf of schools. 
Some of the important issues recognised were: 
 
1. The introduction of computing facilities would require attention to the 

concerns of school personnel for the provision of support from the 
department and of changes to the roles of clerical personnel within the 
school as well as changes to the work environment required for 
introduction of computers. Computerised administration was 
recognised as being more than the provision of a program for use by 
schools. In this respect the Department, with the introduction of 
OASIS, sought agreement from the Public Service Association on work 
practices and technological change, and provided funds and 
information to the schools for the purchase of ergonomic equipment 
and work practices to be employed.  

 
2. With the Department providing computing facilities for this purpose it 

exercised system-wide control over the approaches taken. This control 
extended not only to the provision of software (OASIS) for school 
administration but also hardware, supplied upon installation of OASIS. 
Through this hardware/software solution the Department was able to 
satisfy its requirements for the security of data, the privacy of data, the 
information requirements it had of schools, and work practices. In 
addition the uniformity of the platform upon which the system was 
developed was envisioned to more easily allow the development of an 
education system-wide network between Head Office, Regional Offices 
and local clusters and schools.  

 
3. Although some schools had dedicated some resources to computerised 

school administration, many had not due to the limitations of staff, 
money and time associated with their small size. Consequently there 
was not the scale of the problem experienced by large organisations, 
described by Nolan during this stage, of integrating different 
(administrative) systems. Any delay however, would have made the 
task more difficult. A number of schools were already eagerly pursuing 
the computerisation of administration and library systems which were 
likely to be incompatible and fail to meet the information requirements 
of the Department. The need for direction, coordination and support 
was evident. 

 
As with any systems development project, the development of a school 
administration system required, at this stage, a thorough analysis of the 
requirements of schools, as well as the requirements of the Department. In 
addition to conducting research in schools of the current efforts of school  
 
 
 



22 Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 1993, 9(1) 

personnel, and of developments in other educational systems, trials were 
conducted of commercially available packages in schools, enabling the 
identification of features required. These trials were claimed to provide a 
twofold benefit: the determination of the practical requirements for 
implementation and secondly the development of user expertise in 
understanding and expressing requirements. 
 
No one commercially available package was found to provide all the 
features required of an administration system suited to the needs of 
schools in NSW. Subsequently, the options available for the development 
of a school information system were analysed by the Department, leading 
eventually to the decision to "out-source" program development rather 
than develop such a system "in-house". 
 
The detailed system specifications were developed for five modules given 
initial priority: School Information, Student and Staff Information, 
Financial Management, Library Administration and System Maintenance. 
The software project became known as OASIS and the successful tenderer 
for the software component of the project was Softlink Australia. The 
source code became the property of the NSW Department of School 
Education. 
 
The strategy for implementation of OASIS was not simply the provision of 
acquired software and hardware to schools. Included in the program for 
installation were training courses, technological and work practice 
changes, including consideration of ergonomic factors, data entry 
assistance, manuals, security advice, privacy provisions, field testing and 
controlled distribution. 
 
Following acceptance testing and field testing trials the OASIS software 
package was finally accepted by the Department. Installations began at the 
end of 1988. With the provision of hardware and software, training and 
support the program for its implementation has extended over a number 
of years and is costed at around $30,000,000. OASIS has now been 
implemented in all NSW Public Schools, involving over 3000 installations 
(including both administration and library systems, refer next section). 
 
OASIS: The solution for NSW public schools 
 
OASIS has made a significant impact on the administration of schools in 
NSW. It has changed fundamentally the way in which the administration 
of many schools has been conducted by providing services that previously 
were not capable of being supported with the staff available, and has 
standardised many aspects of school administration more formally, 
allowing better control within the school of many of its administrative 
operations. Additionally it has brought many schools into the information 
age for the first time and advanced the progress of almost all. 
 



Pegler 23 

The degree of technological sophistication made available to even small 
schools, in terms of the integration of the information system impressed 
Scott. The Scott Report (1989), in a review of the workings of the 
Department of School Education, recommended that the implementation 
of the OASIS project be accelerated. Scott saw the system as not only 
providing technological sophistication but also as capable of assisting the 
thrust towards a "school centred education" approach in which schools 
became more autonomous in management with respect to schooling, 
funding and staffing. 
 
The perspective which has been fundamental to the development of 
OASIS is that it has been developed on the basis of what was required, and 
not from what was available, the requirements having been articulated by 
school personnel from their experiences in schools and with school 
administration systems. This has been important in ensuring that the 
problem of the information system "tail" wagging the school management 
"dog" has been avoided. Evaluation of requirements extended beyond 
those for simple storage and retrieval of data. Concern for privacy and 
security of data, the relationships that exist between the stored data as a 
model of the important entities involved, the need to enable school 
personnel, who in many cases were not proficient or experienced users of 
computers, to manage a network, and attention to the issues beyond the 
provision of software and hardware for implementing such a sophisticated 
system are important considerations in the design and implementation of 
a school information system. 
 
Features of OASIS 
 
The OASIS system had to provide a solution for all government schools, 
from the smallest one teacher primary schools in the west of the state to 
the largest metropolitan schools. This was achieved through a combination 
of features: 
 
• provision of networking capability to allow schools to expand the 

physical system as their requirements changed.  
• modules which could be placed in operational status when schools 

were ready to employ them, eg, OASIS Finance.  
• provision for a range of hardware to employ in different modules of 

the system, ie, printers, receipt printers and cash drawers, bar code 
wands, tape backup units.  

• provision of tutorial data with which to test or experiment with data 
entry and reporting.  

• access to support, training and advice from regions and head office. 
 
In larger schools, separate networks are provided for the administration 
system and the library system. The decoupling of the library module from 
the administration modules, provides an additional advantage besides 



24 Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 1993, 9(1) 

reducing the risk of breaches of privacy and security of data by students 
who have access to the system when utilising the inquiry function. Both 
systems currently have installed the same software (although operation of 
individual modules is controlled). This provides some measure of backup 
against possible corruption of programs and system files. In addition, as 
each operates independently of the other, if a fault occurs in one system so 
that it is non operational for a period of time, the other may continue to 
work. The data which links the two systems together is refreshed 
periodically by transferring from the administration system the data that 
the library system needs. 
 
Comparisons of the features of the OASIS system to those developed for 
other educational systems are interesting. The implementation 
specifications developed by the Avon Local Management of Schools team 
U1 response to the similar directions for school-based decision making 
occurring in the British education system provide comfort for the 
directions taken here, particularly insofar as hardware and networking is 
concerned (Bird, 1989, p.21). Bird claims that the provision of such 
software will assist in the move from school administration to school 
management. Management decisions will be supported by the provision of 
programs that permit the analysis of data gathered from the supporting 
data processing operations and the modelling of possible alternatives. 
 
Issues and Future Directions 
 
The implementation of OASIS is not without its problems and can be 
criticised in terms of its scope and implementation by interested external 
parties and school personnel. However OASIS is undergoing change as a 
result of user requests and feedback on performance, and provides a basis 
for progress in this area. Some of the problems and issues are described 
below. 
 
1. The hardware allocated for use in schools for OASIS is limited solely to 

OASIS. Third party software cannot currently be installed by schools 
on the existing hardware for security reasons. The School Systems unit 
is currently endeavouring to permit the installation of third party 
software, such as word processors and spreadsheets, on the fileserver 
without the risk of compromising the security of OASIS data. The 
decision to restrict all NSW Government schools to a standard solution 
was made on the basis that it would reduce the problems associated 
with implementation and support. This is of course in conflict with 
providing a flexible environment encouraging user experience, 
experimentation and innovation.  

 
2. The provision of support to school personnel that exhibit a wide range 

of skills and are so widely dispersed is problematical. The 



Pegler 25 

establishment of "lighthouse" schools, regional information technology 
units, support "hotlines" and training courses represent the current 
attempts at overcoming the demands upon the staff involved in the 
development of OASIS in the School Systems unit. Analyses of the 
nature and origin of support calls are regularly conducted. Problems 
may require either technical or management solutions. In the initial 
training emphasis is given to the provision of technical knowledge, 
however management issues are discussed at training courses and at 
user meetings, principal's conferences and other such venues.  

 
3. Security of hardware and software, corruption of data by computer 

viruses and privacy of data are issues that receive ongoing attention. 
The data is a resource that is critical to the operation of the school. 
Procedures for effective protection of the data have been devised, 
however the school staff involved are required to act on these 
recommended procedures. The backup and recovery routines have 
been changed considerably in the next version to ease the burden on 
school staff by increasing the level of automation and the viability of 
backups.  

 
4. OASIS, in the same manner as any system development project, will 

continue to undergo development and change. A module for 
generation and maintenance of school timetables is currently being 
developed. Other modules are planned to support the work of career 
advisers, sports carnival operations, school canteens and exam 
scheduling. OASIS is also currently undergoing improvement to 
existing modules, with testing being conducted on OASIS Version 2. 
Changes also occur in response to the demands of the Department for 
information, and of schools for support. Links for split-site schools, 
isolated small schools and inter-library loans are also being developed 
as well as access to CD-ROM technology. Data export facilities are 
being improved to allow innovation at a school level for data use, while 
an improved, more intuitive, user interface should be considered for 
development.  

 
5. At this stage, while OASIS provides a great deal of assistance to schools 

in terms of automating and standardising administrative tasks, it does 
not provide, or is not extensively exploited at a school level to provide, 
information useful to school management for forward planning. The 
utilisation by school principals of the information maintained by 
OASIS is, according to Hedberg and Harper (1992) limited, as few had  
 
 
 
 
 



26 Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 1993, 9(1) 

convenient, direct access. Further development is required to enable 
OASIS to provide more wide-ranging decision support capabilities, 
and to provide guidance as to how the existing data maybe used for 
that purpose. Questions exist as to how well OASIS could be used to 
assess the effectiveness of school planning and decisions on 
educational outcomes.  

 
6. The integration of the OASIS system to the instructional processes that 

occur in the school is another area of possible development. While 
OASIS can maintain information about student assessment for 
academic reports it does not support individual teacher maintenance of 
classroom assessment information for monitoring of student progress 
or student access in support of an instructional system. Thus OASIS 
does not support the instructional information system concept, and, as 
Hedberg and Harper (1992) point out this means that the information 
systems used will remain disparate, within the school and the 
education system. Policy (Computers in Schools, 1983) encourages this 
separation and so possible development of an integrated system is 
apparently some way off. The effectiveness of such a system, its 
capabilities and its potential acceptance are yet to be determined. 
However, OASIS can provide a useful basis for this development.  

 
7. Management implications have not been as strongly addressed as the 

technical implementation. Changes in the roles of staff, the importance 
of the data, its capture, maintenance and ownership lead to difficulties 
in successfully implementing the system. Schools independently 
determine the roles to be performed and are responsible for 
management, however managerial issues and roles should be clarified 
with schools on implementation. School management must be involved 
in implementation to ensure the success of any administrative system.  

 
8. The OASIS Project was developed utilising the SPECTRUM Project 

Management Methodology, however, as program development was 
"out-sourced" to Softlink Australia a model of the system was not fully 
developed or maintained. Of concern is the absence of a complete 
logical model for the system. Although some DFDs and ER diagrams 
were developed for the overall view of OASIS, and the Department 
does own the source code, a detailed logical model of the system is not 
available. It would appear that although many aspects of the system  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



Pegler 27 

were developed with due regard to the requirements of users, future 
development and maintenance of the system could be jeopardised by 
this, particularly if personnel changes occur. Too much of the 
knowledge of the system could be lost by the departure of key staff. 
While Softlink remain the developers of the system, and the problems 
of program maintenance and development are theirs, it is not sufficient 
to rely upon Softlink, an outside agency, to maintain such a model (if in 
fact that they do), which may prove, in the long run to be an essential 
item for future development. It also means that it would be difficult to 
enable other software developers to compete with Softlink to provide 
further developments.  

 
9. A more concrete strategic plan of how the OASIS system can be used to 

provide data linked to the Department's systems is needed to provide 
better direction to some aspects of its development. 

 
Many of the problems faced reflect the need to move, or prepare for 
movement to the next stage of Nolan's growth model, that of mature use. 
As Hedberg and Harper (1992,4) state this "process of attaining a 
'maturity' level in information systems development requires effective 
planning." Control is not sufficient, further planning is needed now to 
ensure success of future developments. 
 
Conclusions 
 
The development of OASIS for school administration in NSW public 
schools illustrates the stage of information systems growth referred to as 
control and integration. Control has been imposed from above, not by 
school management but by Department management, which while it may 
cause some resentment and misunderstanding, has been necessary due to 
the potential proliferation of administration solutions, the general low 
levels of expertise and the need to ensure Departmental requirements 
were met. Its implementation has widened the appreciation of data 
management and computer technology within schools. 
 
The development of OASIS has provided a basis for progress in provision 
of an integrated, instructional school information system. The foundations, 
built by addressing the requirements of users, and analysis of the wider 
organisational requirements, have contributed to the furnishing of an 
integrated package which goes a considerable way towards satisfying the 
administrative needs of schools. To extend this to provision of a complete 
integrated system is also likely to be beyond the resources of schools and 
the sophistication of school personnel alone in planning for such a system. 
 
 
 



28 Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 1993, 9(1) 

Although it has relieved school personnel from the burden of planning 
and designing the administrative information system within the school, 
successful implementation depends on more than this; support from 
school management, delivery of suitable training and availability of 
support to the school are needed too. To successfully implement a school 
administration system depends not only upon the careful planning of its 
design, to ensure it meets organisational and user needs, but also upon its 
mode of implementation, to ensure it addresses the important socio-
technical issues that surround the introduction of technology. This study 
has provided some insight into the problems that school administrators 
and educational systems face and how OASIS has provided a solution, 
applicable to the NSW school system. It may also provide a means to 
bridge the gap between the hypothetical, totally integrated solutions for 
schools and the need to confront the practical technical and sociological 
problems to be faced. 
 
The last stage of growth, maturity, represents that stage at which 
organisations can launch the next technological innovation. Maturity is 
reflected in planned approaches, and, as discussed, to move to this next 
stage will require the development of a strategic plan of the further 
development of OASIS and its place in the school and the Department. 
Contingent with this is the need to develop a logical model of the OASIS 
system so that the impact of change and future development can be 
assessed, so that vendor choice can be widened, and maintenance of the 
system more efficiently effected. 
 
The lack of a comprehensive, logical model of the system that would be 
developed by following a specified information systems development 
methodology is of concern in the longer term. The absence of this model, 
as pointed out, could be critical in the future as the system requires 
maintenance and enhancement. Other issues associated with the 
protection of the school's data and support of school personnel in the 
implementation of OASIS are more immediately critical for the success of 
OASIS. 
 
References 
 
Bird, P. (1989). Countdown to Local Admin. Educational Computing, 10(1), 

19-21. 
Hartley, W. & Shinta, J. (1983). Report on the Administrative Computing 

Needs of Schools. Unpublished, Department of School Education. 
Hedberg, J. G., Harper, B. and Bloch, D. (1992). Educational information 

systems: Problems of the small educational organisation. Australian 
Journal of Educational Technology, 8(2), 132-160. 
http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet8/hedberg.html 

 



Pegler 29 

McNurlin, B. C. & Sprague, R. H. Jr. (1989). Information Systems 
Management in Practice. Prentice-Hall. 

NSW Department of Education (1983). Computers in Schools: A General 
Policy Statement. 

NSW Department of School Education (1991). Computers in School 
Administration: OASIS Overview. 

School Administration Computerisation Project (SACP) (1989). A History of 
Development: Information File, 15/5/89. 

School Administration Unit (SAU) (1987). Important Documents File, No. 1 
(1985-1986), No. 2. 

Scott, B. (1989). Schools Renewal: A Strategy to Revitalise Schools Within the 
NSW State Education System. Management Review: NSW Education 
Portfolio. 

 
Author: Graham Pegler, is currently Studying for an Honours Masters 
Degree in Commerce specialising in Management Information Systems 
where research into the application of information systems modelling and 
methodologies to specification of school information systems is being 
undertaken. He is Senior Education Officer, NSW Department of School 
Education, MIS Directorate, School Systems Project and was previously a 
high school science and computing studies teacher responsible for 
coordination of the school's efforts in provision and use of computer 
technology including the implementation of OASIS (the Department of 
School Education's school administration system). 
 
Please cite as: Pegler, G. (1993). OASIS: The development of a school 
information system. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 9(1), 19-29. 
http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet9/pegler.html